Khim Lal Devkota

Khim Lal Devkota is an expert in fiscal federalism, specializing in public finance, fiscal decentralization, intergovernmental fiscal relations, and legislation in Nepal. With a career spanning over two decades, he has been a strong advocate for empowering subnational governments, ensuring they effectively fulfill their mandates.

In May 2021, Devkota transitioned into political leadership, winning a seat in Nepal’s National Assembly as an independent candidate, defeating the incumbent Home Minister. He served as a Member of Parliament until March 2024, actively contributing to legislative and policy reforms.

Devkota played a key role in various parliamentary initiatives. He was instrumental in drafting the Legislative Management Bill, 2024, which enhances the participation of provincial and local governments in the law-making process. As a task member of the National Assembly Rules Revision Task Team, he worked to make parliamentary rules more accessible and inclusive. As the president of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Federalism Implementation, he led a comprehensive study on federalism, culminating in a report submitted to Parliament. Additionally, he spearheaded the submission of a federalism implementation resolution proposal in June 2022.

Before his tenure in Parliament, Devkota served as an advisor to several governmental bodies and institutions, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers,  the National Planning Commission, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, and the Local Bodies’ Fiscal Commission. His expertise shaped key policies and programs on fiscal decentralization, intergovernmental fiscal transfers, local government finance, and performance-based grant systems.

During Nepal’s transition to a federal republic, Devkota was the first Vice Chairperson of the Policy and Planning Commission of Bagmati Province (2018–2019). He also served as an expert member of the Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations Council and provided guidance to parliamentary committees on finance, development, state affairs, and planning.

Devkota is also the Chairperson of the Federalism and Localization Center (FLC), an independent organization dedicated to strengthening Nepal’s federal system through research, policy advocacy, and technical support for subnational governments.

A recognized authority on federalism and governance issues in Nepal, Devkota frequently contributes to media discussions and interviews. He is also a prolific academic writer, with numerous published papers, articles, and reports focusing on federalism, public finance, intergovernmental transfers, public expenditure management, and local governance. Notably, his academic contributions include publications for the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

For inquiries or collaborations, he can be reached at flc.org.np or via email at [email protected].